Rest No Problem for Rock Hard Ten

The presence of the formidable Rock Hard Ten chased away two of his rivals before the horses even reached the gate. The three that were left to run against the favorite in Saturday’s $500,000 Goodwood Handicap also would have been better served staying in their barns.

Rock Hard Ten’s winning margin at Santa Anita was a seemingly small one length over Roman Ruler, but his jockey, Gary Stevens, never used the whip as trainer Richard Mandella successfully brought the big 4-year-colt back from a seven-month layoff.

“When I pushed the button [in the stretch], it was over in two strides,” Stevens said. “He really only ran an eighth of a mile. By the time I got to the quarter pole, it was just a matter of how far I wanted to win by.”

With horse of the year on the line at Belmont Park on Oct. 29, Rock Hard Ten will take on Saint Liam, Borrego and possibly even Afleet Alex in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Five previous winners of the Classic used the Goodwood as a prep, the most recent the Mandella-trained Pleasantly Perfect in 2003.

“This was the big obstacle, to get him back, make sure he ran the race that he ran last winter here, and he did that,” Mandella said. “I don’t know that he’s not getting better.”

Mandella, who took over from the horse’s previous trainer, Jason Orman, gave Rock Hard Ten a long rest after he ran the table at Santa Anita last winter, winning the Malibu, the Strub and the Santa Anita Handicap. Owned by Ernie Moody, Maria Vila and Madeleine Pickens, Rock Hard Ten won for the seventh time in 11 starts and the $300,000 winner’s share boosted his purses to $1.8 million.

Roman Ruler finished one length ahead of Choctaw Nation, with Total Impact last. The scratches were Gotaghostofachance and Preachinatthebar. Rock Hard Ten, running 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 3/5 , paid $3.40.

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Megahertz probably will get one more shot at the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf after she and Alex Solis split horses at the top of the stretch for a one-length win in the $500,000 Yellow Ribbon.

Megahertz, a 6-year-old British-bred mare, was 11th in the Filly and Mare Turf last year.

Megahertz gave trainer Bobby Frankel a record fifth win in the Yellow Ribbon. Frankel had been tied with the late Charlie Whittingham for most wins in the stake.

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Diamond Omi, an 8-1 shot ridden by David Flores, gave trainer Bob Baffert his sixth win in the Oak Leaf Stakes. Diamond Omi outlasted Wild Fit, the 1-2 favorite, in an extended stretch duel to win by three-quarters of a length.

Flores has ridden half of Baffert’s Oak Leaf winners. Diamond Omi’s time for 1 1/16 miles in the $200,000 race was 1:45 2/5 . The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies is the same distance, but only around one turn at Belmont, and Baffert wasn’t sure whether Diamond Omi would be sent to New York.

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Stevie Wonderboy, the Del Mar Futurity winner, is skipping today’s Norfolk Stakes and will be trained up to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.... Greg’s Gold, winner of the Bing Crosby Handicap at Del Mar, will miss the Breeders’ Cup Sprint because of a knee injury.